Isolated
by DamonSalvatore1839
Summary: "She was safe, and she was free. Finally. But did that really mean anything if she was broken inside?" Upon hearing that she loves Damon, Stefan locks Elena in a room in the basement. When Damon finally comes home and finds her, can he help her pick up the pieces? Delena AU/AH Contains possibly triggering material
1. Chapter 1: Lost And Found

**A/N: So this story is inspired by an article I read about a girl who was kept locked in a room for 25 years in the 1800s by her mother because she loved a man that she disapproved of. If you are interested, look up Blanche Monnier. Anyways, here is the story. It is AU/AH and contains triggering material such as abuse, rape, self harm, and suicidal thoughts.**

Six months. She had been trapped in here for six months. The floors, ceiling and walls were made of cement, there was no window, and the door was padlocked, all of which meant she had no way out.

She was only allowed enough food and drink to get by, which usually meant a glass of water at breakfast and dinner, and a plain piece of bread and- if she was very lucky- a piece of fruit for lunch.

Her bed was a pile of dirty rags, which at first she rejected but came to welcome once she realized she was never leaving this hell.

She spent her days crying, reminiscing about her old life. She was forgetting what the sunlight felt like, all she felt were her own tears. She sometimes cut herself with jagged rocks to remind herself she was alive. She was forgetting how different things smelled, all she smelled was her own stench and stale air. And her eyesight was becoming worse and worse from always being in the dark.

And if this was her hell, he was surely the devil.

Stefan Salvatore, her one true love, or so she thought. They had been high school sweethearts and dated all the way til they were 19. But then there was his brother. He was the high school and college quarterback for the football team and her best friend.

At first she had ignored it. Even though Damon was hot, she still loved Stefan and would never hurt him. But when she started hanging out with him more, Stefan became jealous. They would argue, a lot, and sometimes Stefan became violent and hit her.

One day she couldn't take it anymore. It was during one of their arguments, she hadn't meant to say it but it just came out, and it was the truth. "I am in love with Damon!"

The look on Stefan's face was one of pure darkness and rage. That is how she ended up where she was. He had told her she would never see him again, not as long as he was around.

And as if that wasn't punishment enough, he would regularly come downstairs and force himself on her, leaving her a shaking, crying mess when he was done.

In short, he had broken her. Elena Gilbert was broken.

* * *

><p>"Have you heard from Elena?" Damon asked Stefan as he walked into the parlor, pouring himself some bourbon. He had only been home twice in the past six months seeing as Elena had left unexpectedly, no goodbye or anything.<p>

"Yeah, she finally sent a letter" he replied and handed him a letter. Little did Damon know, Stefan had forced her to write it, threatening to kill Damon if she didn't.

It read "Hey Damon. 'H'op'e' you're doing as good as I am. Ca'l'l me soon, 'p'lease. I 'm'iss you. El'e'na. xoxo"

"What's with all the marks?" Damon asked.

Stefan shrugged. "Shaky hands, maybe? I dunno. I'm gonna go to the bar, wanna come?"

"Nah, I'm gonna stay. I had a long trip and I just want to relax." he answered.

As soon as Stefan left, Damon grabbed a pen and sat down with the letter. When they were younger, Elena and Damon had a secret code that they used whenever they had to tell each other something but there were people around. How it worked was simple, you just put marks around the letters of your message and piece the message together.

As he wrote, the message started to piece together: Help me.

Help me? Why would she write that? Wasn't she in Hawaii or something? Something was off, and he was going to find out what.

As he was thinking, he could have sworn he heard sobbing. He thought he was hearing things, but it wasn't stopping. He followed it down to the basement and found a door that had been padlocked.

"Hello?" he called, thinking his day just got interesting.

He heard a gasp and then silence. He could hear the person breathing, heavily and shaky. He had a bad feeling he knew who it was. It was all starting to come together. The message, Elena leaving randomly.

"Elena? Is that you?" he asked, his voice ever so gentle.

She didn't answer, how could she? She just rested her head against the door, not knowing that Damon was doing the same.

"Elena, if that is you, can you give me a sign?"

Suddenly he heard humming coming from the other side of the door. It took him a minute to recognize the song, but when it clicked, he knew it was her. It was her favorite song, "Reflection" from Mulan, Christina Aguilera's version to be exact.

Damon sprang into action, grabbing a hammer and smashing the padlock until it broke off. The door swung open and revealed Elena, the girl he had been in love with for a long time, and who he thought broke his heart by leaving.

But now, looking at her, he knew the truth. She was standing on shaky legs, she was so skinny that her bones showed, her hair was a mangled mess and she was completely dirty from top to bottom. He noticed cuts up and down her arms, bruises all over her, and she looked so scared but so relieved at the same time.

"Oh, Elena" Damon whispered, tears coming to his eyes, but he blinked them back. He had to be strong for her. "What has he done to you?"

She slowly walked towards him and rested a hesitant hand on his chest, as to check and see if he was real. After she was convinced he was, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed hysterically into his chest.

She was safe, and she was free. Finally. But did that really mean anything if she was broken inside?


	2. Chapter 2: Broken Inside

Damon ran a warm bath for Elena as she sat quietly on his bed wrapped in a blanket that he gave to her, as she was completely naked when he found her. She looked so lost, the sparkle was gone from her eyes and she hadn't said a word or even smiled since he found her. He couldn't even imagine the things she went through, but he was determined to help her recover.

"Your bath is ready whenever you are" Damon said, grinning softly at her.

Elena nodded and slowly walked over to the bathroom, shedding the towel and stepping into the tub. She hesitated for a moment, as if she was thinking about what to do next, before sinking into the tub and letting out a sigh of content.

Damon started to close the door, but heard Elena whimper. He looked over at her and saw panic in her eyes. Of course. After being in a closed space for so long, she would be terrified of being in that situation again.

"I'll leave it cracked" he said, and she grinned softly in thanks. Damon left it cracked about a foot. "I'll be just outside, okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

Elena washed her body gently. Her muscles, which were sore and bruised, relaxed in the warm water. She then realized that she was so dirty that all the bath was doing was collecting the dirt. She drained the tub, then stood and switched it to the shower. That was better.

She washed her hair about 4 times and scrubbed her body vigorously. As soon as she was completely clean again, she turned the water off and got out, drying herself off and wrapping herself in a towel.

Walking out into Damon's bedroom, she realized she had no clothes. She didn't want to bother Damon though, so she didn't say anything.

He was talking to someone. She couldn't help but hear him. "How long has she been in there?" he hissed to the other person, probably Stefan. This made her very nervous.

"Tell me. How long. She. Was. In. There." he said through gritted teeth. Elena cleared her throat and he turned to look at her. "I'll talk to you when you get home." he growled and hung up. "Hey, sorry about that. Don't you want to get dressed?"

Elena looked down, ashamed. Her clothes had been taken away months ago, it made it easier for Stefan to have his way with her. Damon walked slowly towards her. "Hey. You don't have to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you"

Elena looked up at him, surprised. "I could never be afraid of you" she said, her voice raspy and barely above a whisper.

Damon was shocked that she spoke. She hadn't said a word since he saved her. "I think you have some clothes in Stefan's room" he said. Elena cringed at the mention of Stefan's name. She nodded and walked over to Stefan's room, Damon behind her. He wasn't letting her out of his sight.

She stopped as she got to Stefan's doorway and Damon noticed her start to tremble. "Hey, it's okay." he said gently, walking in front of her so she focused on him and not the room, which seemed to help. "I can get them for you"

She nodded in agreement. Damon went into the room and pulled out a drawer. He knew it was Elena's because he had caught her dressing multiple times. "This okay?" he asked as he pulled out a dress.

Elena shook her head and wrapped her arms around her rail-thin frame, trying to indicate she didn't want to have anything showing. Damon nodded and got some sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. "This?" Elena nodded.

Getting dressed was hard because her clothes were way too big even though they were supposed to fit a size one, so she finally decided to switch pants and wear a pair with a drawstring.

After she was dressed comfortably, they both went downstairs and Damon insisted she eat. "What would you like?" he asked, to which Elena just shrugged.

Damon sighed. What did Elena like? He didn't want to give her anything too heavy, as her stomach needed to build a tolerance to food again. "What about chicken noodle soup and crackers?"

She nodded and he grinned. "You got it"

He heated up the soup and put it in a bowl and spread out some crackers on a plate and set it in front of her on the table and sat at the seat across from her.

Elena started eating faster than Damon had ever seen anyone eat. "Slow down, you don't want to get sick" he told her, and she slowed down, looking at him apologetically. She finished it all in five minutes.

Elena grinned thankfully at Damon as he cleared her plates. She stayed quiet as they moved from the kitchen to the living room and Damon draped a blanket over Elena before going to sit next to her.

Suddenly the door swung open, making Elena jump. "Where is the bitch?!" a drunk Stefan yelled. Elena sunk back in the couch, silently sobbing and shaking in fear.

Damon's heart broke as he saw how Elena reacted. All he wanted to do was comfort her, but he had another issue to deal with at the moment. "You listen to me, you son of a bitch." he said, walking over to Stefan. "I want you out of the house in an hour. You are not welcome here anymore"

"You can't throw me out" Stefan sneered.

"The hell I can't. I own this house, I can kick out whoever I want" Damon growled.

Stefan's face hardened and he turned to Elena. "You create more trouble than you're worth, you know that?" he told her in a menacing voice before going upstairs. Damon waited until he was gone, luggage in hand, before going back over to Elena, who was sobbing and shaking.

Before he got all the way over, she leaned over and threw up everything she ate onto the carpet. She looked at him, intense fear and panic in her eyes. "I'm s-sorry... please don't hurt me" she begged through sobs.

Damon sat at the other end of the couch, not wanting to startle her. "Hey, it's fine. I told you, I would never hurt you"

"That's what Stefan used to say" she whimpered, getting even more worked up and starting to dry heave.

"Okay, come here, you're getting yourself too worked up" he said and opened his arms. She looked hesitant at first but crawled across the couch on her hands and knees and lay her head on Damon's chest, letting him hold her and soothe her. It was the first human contact she had had in six months, she didn't count the rape, and it felt good.

As Damon held her, one thing kept going through his mind: Did Stefan do more than lock her up and starve and hit her?


	3. Chapter 3: Panic

Elena was so happy to be in an actual bed that night. The rags she had been sleeping on previously didn't cushion the unforgiving and often freezing floor of the cell she had been residing in.

She didn't think Damon had any idea how thankful she was that he found her and helped her. She only hoped that he wasn't offended by her not talking. It was just a lot to take in, and she didn't want to say the wrong thing and upset him.

She couldn't help but think of what Stefan had said before leaving. 'You create more trouble than you're worth, you know that?'

And she did know that. Stefan was absolutely right. She was broken, she didn't even know why Damon was being so nice. It's not like she deserved it.

She soon fell asleep, thinking of a pair of blue eyes before she dozed off.

* * *

><p><strong>Elena felt someone kicking her, hard. "Wake up, you useless bitch"<strong>

**Her heart started to race as fear washed over her. This couldn't be. Damon saved her, didn't he?**

**But as she opened her eyes, she realized it had been a dream. She was still where she had been for six months.**

**"Did you hear me? I told you to wake up!" Stefan growled, yanking her up by her wrist.**

**"Go ahead, Stefan. Do what you want. You've already taken everything from me, what more could you possibly do?" she spat out.**

**Stefan dug his nails into her wrist, making her whimper in pain. "I can take your will to live, piece by piece"**

**Elena grinned sadly and whispered, "Too late"**

**She screamed as Stefan slapped her so hard that she fell to the floor. She deserved whatever was to come, she was the one who provoked him. **

**Elena...Elena... **

**She heard Damon's voice coming from somewhere. She knew she had. "Damon?" she whispered.**

**"Damon's not coming to save you. How many times do I need to tell you that before you get it through your idiotic brain?" Stefan said.**

**"I heard him!" she insisted, tears forming in her eyes. She tried not to cry, she wasn't allowed to cry, if she did, she got a beating. But she couldn't help it. All she wanted in that moment was to see Damon's precious face and just curl up into his arms. She felt so safe in his arms. **

**Elena, wake up...**

**There was Damon's voice again. How did Stefan not hear it? Was she going insane?**

* * *

><p>"Elena!" Damon shouted, and this time Elena's eyes snapped open. She looked frantically around the room. The bed...she was in a bed...and Damon was there...which meant that being back in the cell had been a dream. Oh, thank god.<p>

"I'm sorry I woke you" she spoke in a raspy voice, looking at Damon guiltily.

"Don't be sorry, 'Lena" he replied with a smile before laying on the bed and pulling Elena into his arms, which she welcomed.

"He broke me, Damon" Elena said in a small voice after a few minutes in silence. "Stefan broke me, and I don't think I can be put back together" she let out a sob.

Damon stroked her hair. "You're not broken, you're just bent"

Elena furrowed her brows. "Did you seriously just quote Pink?" she asked, looking at him.

Damon grinned and chuckled at Elena's amused expression, happy to see an emotion on her face other than fear or guilt or sadness. "Why yes I did. As a matter of fact, 'Who Knew' has been my anthem for the past six months" he said jokingly.

Suddenly Elena's expression turned somber again.

"Did I say something?" he asked, confused as to why her expression changed again so quickly.

"Do you know why he did it?" she asked meekly.

Damon just shook his head.

Elena raised her eyes to meet his. "I loved another man" she said.

"Who? Who did you love that he would react so harshly?" That was putting it lightly, he thought to himself.

Elena closed her eyes as a tear trailed down her cheek.

Damon wiped it away. "Elena...you can tell me" he said gently.

"You. I loved you. He told me that he would only let me out when and if I agreed to move on. But I refused, and I stood my ground. And I still love you. But I can't..." she stopped, sobs threatening to overpower her. After a minute, she continued. "I can't give you what you need. He **did **break me, Damon, in more ways than one. You don't know the things I went through. The only food I was allowed was one piece of bread and sometimes an apple once every day and three glasses of water to drink. He beat me, clawed, hit, bit, pushed, yanked, anything you can think of, he did. As if that wasn't enough, he also...raped me...every day. Soon enough I lost everything, emotions became numb, I cut myself to remind myself I was alive, and I couldn't remember what sunlight and fresh air was like. My dignity and my will to live was all gone. I was just...hollow" she finished, tears pouring down her face.

"Oh my god. Elena, we need to take this to the police" Damon said.

Elena shook her head frantically. "No! Please, I'm begging you. Trust me, I want him locked up as much as you, but I just need to find myself again, take back what he took from me. Just give me time. I need time to cope. Please?"

Damon nodded. "Of course. Whenever you're ready"

Elena lay back down and closed her eyes. She opened them again as she felt Damon get up. "Damon?"

"Hmm?" he turned to look at her.

"Please don't leave me" she sounded so vulnerable and scared. Damon nodded and lay back down, and she cuddled up to him and fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>Elena woke to a strange sensation on her face. It's sunlight, you dope, she thought to herself. Well excuse me, I've been locked in a frigging cement cell for half a year. Am I seriously arguing with myself?<p>

She rolled over and opened her eyes to see Damon still sleeping. A real smile crept onto her face for the first time in...well, she didn't even know. He was so cute when he was asleep. She ran her fingers through his raven black hair, it felt like silk and it was so soft and fluffy. It made her smile more.

"That feels nice" Damon murmured groggily.

Elena pulled her hand away quickly and blushed. "I thought you were asleep"

"I was" he said. He opened his eyes and grinned at her.

Elena bit her bottom lip as she looked into his eyes. He was so beautiful.

"How about some breakfast?" Damon offered.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but then thought against it for fear that her request would be rejected.

"What?" Damon asked curiously.

Elena shook her head.

"Elena, you can tell me" he urged gently.

"I-It's just...I haven't been outside in so long...I was hoping we could go out for breakfast" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Damon grinned and nodded. "I think that is a great idea"

* * *

><p>As they drove to the breakfast place a few miles down, Elena stayed quiet, looking around at everything.<p>

Damon couldn't help but notice and started to wonder if it was such a good idea to have her back out in the community so soon. But she was sure that she wanted to, so he didn't argue.

Elena stayed close to Damon as they walked inside, looking around and obviously on guard. They got to the table and sat down, starting to go over the menu.

The waitress brought over some bread and water for their wait. Elena glanced at it and she couldn't help but think about the bread and water that she had to live on for six months.

No! She was with Damon, she told herself and tried to focus back on the menu. But the bread and water was right there, taunting her about the past.

She looked down at her hand. Wait. Why was it all dirty? She pulled up her sleeve, her arm was all dirty. And so was her other arm. No. This couldn't be happening.

She couldn't breathe. People were starting to stare at her. What did she do wrong? Suddenly she was back in the cell. The tables and people of the restaurant were gone, and replaced by cement.

"No. NO! Oh god, no" she started crying and hyperventilating.

Then everything faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4: Yes

The next thing Elena knew she was laying on her bed with Damon sitting by her side.

"Hey" he said gently, a small grin on his face.

"W-What happened?" Elena asked, clearly confused.

"You had a panic attack at the restaurant and passed out. I explained to the waitress that you had some trauma, I didn't say what, but that you got panic attacks. She was very understanding. Are you alright?"

Elena nodded and looked down, ashamed. Damon lifted her chin. "You don't need to be ashamed. This is perfectly normal for what you went through"

"I can't even go to a restaurant without freaking out. Just another thing he took from me" she said bitterly, tears in her eyes.

"You've been through hell, it's going to take time. But you will get through it. I'll help you get through it" Damon promised.

"Can I please have some time alone?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, of course" Damon nodded and left the room, leaving the door open.

Elena curled her legs up to her chest and silently cried as she thought. Would she be doomed to stay inside for the rest of her life because she couldn't handle looking at a piece of bread or a glass of water?

She couldn't even talk about it, except to Damon, and even then it was only bits and pieces. How was she supposed to tell her friends, or anyone for that matter, that she had been locked in a cell for almost a year and no one ever noticed, when she didn't even know the answer to that herself?

* * *

><p>She didn't know how long she sat there before she heard talking downstairs. Her heart stopped for a minute, until she heard who it was.<p>

"Hey Damon, I heard Elena's back? Stefan told me" Bonnie's voice echoed through the house.

"She's not really up for company right now" Damon explained.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, concerned.

"Damon" Elena called from the bedroom. "She can come in"

Elena took a deep breath and went into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and ran a hand through her hair, making sure she looked somewhat presentable, before going downstairs.

"Hey Bonnie" Elena said with a fake smile, hoping Bonnie didn't see through it.

"Elena...what happened to you?" She asked. Yep, she saw through it.

She shrugged. "It's not a big deal"

Damon was about to say something, but Elena looked at him and shook her head. He nodded reluctantly and decided to leave the room to give them space.

"Elena, you've been gone for six months in which everyone thought you moved to Hawaii, well according to Stefan, but now you're suddenly back and you're skin and bones, you won't smile a real smile, the twinkle from your eye is gone and don't think I didn't notice how you just cringed when I mentioned Stefan just now. What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong!" Elena snapped. "God, stop badgering me!"

"You're my best friend, Elena. I've known you my whole life. We tell each other everything"

"Not this. I can't, I'm sorry" Elena whispered, shaking her head.

Bonnie sighed and nodded. "Okay. Do you think you could ever tell me?"

Elena was silent for a minute before speaking. "I have a lot to work through. But maybe someday, yeah"

"Alright. I brought you something" she smiled and pulled out a package of Twinkies. "I know they used to be your favorite"

"They still are" she said, grinning a bit as she opened them and bit into one. "Mmmm" she closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

Suddenly Elena's phone jingled, notifying her of a text. Her heart stopped, it was from Stefan. It read: Don't think I'm done with you, bitch.

Elena's eyes widened and her breathing quickened.

Bonnie noticed right away and took the phone from her hand. Her eyes widened as she read the message. "Elena, what did Stefan do?"

Elena couldn't answer, she was starting to panic. Bonnie yelled for Damon to help, and he was back in a matter of seconds. Once he saw what was happening, he rushed over to Elena and put his hands on her shoulders. "Elena? Elena, relax, you're fine. It's just me and Bonnie here. Okay? You're okay."

Damon stroked her hair as he tried to keep her in the present moment and away from falling back into a flashback. It seemed to work, but it took a few minutes.

After everything had calmed down, Elena, Damon and Bonnie all sat on the couch. "Elena, I know you don't want to tell me, and I understand whatever happened must have been hard-"

"No" Elena interrupted. "You have NO idea. How am I supposed to tell you or anyone for that matter that Stefan locked me up for six months in a six by eight foot cell with cement walls, floor and ceiling, sleeping on a pile of dirty rags, not allowed to shower, only allowed 3 glasses of water and one piece of bread a day and maybe a piece of fruit, and was beat and raped by him more times than I can count? He took everything from me, piece by piece until there was nothing left to take. And even then he didn't stop"

She was crying by the time she was done. God, she was sick of crying.

Bonnie looked horrified. "Oh my God, Elena...why isn't he locked up?"

"I begged Damon not to go to the police. I just can't. I know I'll be called to testify and I can't handle that right now. I need to get my life back, I need to get strong again." she explained.

Bonnie hugged her. "I'm here for you" she whispered.

Elena nodded and hugged back.

* * *

><p>After an hour of convincing her that she would be okay, Bonnie finally left, giving Elena her number even though she already knew it.<p>

Elena exhaled deeply. "It's never going to get easier, is it?" she asked, looking at Damon.

"It will. Just give it time"

"Time. It's such a vague word. How much time do I need? A week, a month, a year? How long until I feel okay again?" she demanded.

"I don't know. I'm sorry" he said, sadness in his eyes.

Elena sighed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

Damon was shocked. She hadn't initiated physical contact at all since he saved her. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, half expecting her to protest. But she didn't.

"Why haven't you given up on me?" she asked suddenly.

"Why would I do that?" Damon replied, surprise in his voice.

"Because I'm not worth it, Damon. Stefan was right. I'm not worth the trouble that I cause." she sighed. "I should go. I think I've overstayed my welcome"

"Elena...no. You haven't. And you are worth it, don't listen to him" he said, angry that she could even think that.

"It's true, Damon. You shouldn't have to live always worrying that I'm going to have a panic attack. I need to go." she whispered brokenly and walked away.

"Elena" he called after her. She stopped but didn't turn.

"Please don't leave. Do you want to know the truth? I've enjoyed the time I have spent with you more than I've ever enjoyed anything else. I don't care what baggage you carry, I'll gladly take it because I love you, Elena. I was heartbroken when I thought you left without a word, and I'm not letting you go again, and definitely not because of something that my bastard of a brother caused. Please, Elena. Let me show you that you are worth it"

Elena bit her bottom lip as tears trailed down her face. His words were the truth, she could tell. She didn't know why, but her head and her heart were telling her to go for it. And to be honest, she needed someone, she needed him.

She turned on her heels and rushed up to him, connecting her lips to his in a loving and passionate kiss. He immediately kissed back. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but it was the most amazing thing either of them had ever experienced.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" he asked, out of breath.

Elena nodded. "That's a yes"


	5. Chapter 5: Captured

It had been two weeks, and Elena was feeling a little bit better, more herself. Damon was working hard at trying to make her smile or laugh, anything to get her out of the gloomy mood she was usually autopilot-ed on. Little by little, she was happier, he could tell.

"I want to go back to the restaurant" Elena said one morning as they were lying in bed. She barely slept in her room anymore. She just felt safer with Damon by her side.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea" Damon said.

"Damon, I can't avoid things that remind me of...what happened...forever. I was surprised last time. Honestly, I had forgotten that that was what they usually did, bringing bread and water out I mean. And when I saw it, I couldn't help but think back. This time, I'll be better prepared. And if you notice me panicking, just talk to me like you did when Bonnie was here."

Damon nodded, he had to admit it sounded like a pretty foolproof plan. "Okay, we can try it" he grinned.

Elena smiled excitedly. He chuckled and shook his head. She was the strongest person he knew, that was for damn sure. How she could test herself like that and push her limits was beyond him, but she amazed him.

He could only hope that this would turn out good.

* * *

><p>They were sitting at the restaurant and Damon couldn't help but noticed as they talked that Elena was much more relaxed this time around.<p>

A few minutes later they brought over the water and bread. Elena stared at it for a few seconds. Damon could tell she was trying to control her breath, but she didn't seem to be panicking.

"Elena? You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and looked back up at him. "I'm fine" she smiled, proud of herself.

"Really?" he asked, bewildered.

She nodded and smiled. "I'm fine" she said excitedly.

"Wow" he said, amazed.

Just then Elena got a text. She looked at her phone and her eyes widened and her breathing got heavier.

"Elena? What is it?" Damon asked.

She shook her head and put the phone down, screen facing the table so he couldn't see. "Nothing"

"Elena-"

"It's nothing, okay?" she said, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

Damon sighed. He wished she would trust him, but he understood that it would take time. "Okay"

They got off of the topic and began talking about other things.

* * *

><p>That night, Caroline called Elena and invited her and Damon to go to the nearby nightclub.<p>

"I don't know, Care" Elena sighed. She didn't know how she would handle being alone in a crowd of people. And she didn't know if she could have fun while watching her back the whole time.

"Come on, Elena. We haven't seen each other in, like, ever! Please?" she begged.

Elena groaned. "Alright, fine. What time?"

Caroline squealed in excitement. "One hour! Meet you there!"

"Can't wait" Elena said and hung up, letting out a deep sigh.

"What's wrong?" Damon said as he came downstairs.

"Caroline wants us to join her at the nightclub tonight" she said

"Sounds fun, what's the problem?" he asked, confused.

"The problem is that I haven't been around loud music, hundreds of people and flashing lights for six months. I don't know if I can handle so much so soon"

"You won't know unless you try" he pointed out.

Elena nodded. "I guess"

* * *

><p>An hour later Damon and Elena showed up at the nightclub. Elena was wearing a black miniskirt, black tube top and a denim jacket with black leather high heeled boots that went up to her thighs. Damon was wearing dark denim jeans, sneakers and a plaid button down shirt.<p>

Caroline ran up to them wearing a pink dress with sequins around the waist and pink heels. "You guys came!" she squealed.

"Of course we came, you pretty much dragged us" Elena said.

Once they were inside, Elena gasped slightly and took Damon's hand subconsciously. "I-I didn't realize it would be this crowded"

"We don't have to stay if you don't want" Damon said, looking at her.

"We can stay for a while" Elena said, though she didn't sound sure.

Suddenly they started playing "Boom, Clap" by Charli XCX and Caroline squealed. "Elena, this is our song! We have to dance!"

"You and Damon go ahead, I'm gonna get a drink" Elena said.

Damon was about to ask if she wanted him to come with her, but she was already gone. "Alright. Come on Blondie" Damon said, leading the way to the dance floor.

**First kiss just like a drug**

**Under your influence**

**You take me over, you're the magic in my veins**

**This must be love**

"I'll have a martini" Elena said to the bartender over the music as she sat down. She used to love this song, but that was her old life. Before everything happened. Now everything that used to matter doesn't.

Suddenly a voice called her name. It was familiar for all the wrong reasons. She turned around and there he was. Stefan. And there she was. Trapped.

"Leave me alone, Stefan" she told him, but her voice didn't sound nearly as confident as she would have liked.

"Aww, am I bothering you?" he smirked. "You're pathetic. I told you I wasn't finished with you"

"Please..." Elena whimpered. But he just walked closer. And before she knew it, he had injected her with something, she didn't know what. But the last thing she remembered were his cold calculating eyes.

**Boom, clap, sound of my heart**

**Come on to me, come on to me now**


	6. Chapter 6: Turning Point

It had been 20 damn minutes. Where was she? Caroline was dancing but Damon couldn't enjoy it, and not (completely) because all they played was teeny bop pop music.

He decided to go over to the bar and make sure she was okay. His heart sunk when he saw a martini sitting abandoned by the bar.

He ran up and asked the bartender if he had seen the person that asked for that drink.

"Yeah, her boyfriend came and said he was going to take her home. She was passed out drunk, I guess" the bartender replied.

"Damn it" Damon muttered. He knew his brother wasn't enough of an idiot to bring her back home. That left just about anywhere.

He ran outside but before he got to his car he heard her scream his name. "Damon! Help me! Damon!"

Damon ran over to the alley where the sound was coming from. Stefan was pinning Elena against the wall while humping her as she cried.

He pushed Stefan off of her with all of his strength and caught Elena as she collapsed to the ground in sobs.

Stefan ran off before Damon could do anymore, and he would have. So he just held her as she sobbed into his chest. He didn't know how long he sat there holding her, but soon they both heard Caroline's voice. "Elena? Oh my God! What happened?!"

"It's not a good time, Caroline" Damon said, looking at her, and his expression told her that he was dead serious. She nodded and rested a hand on Elena's arm. "Call me when you're feeling better, okay sweetie?"

Elena just nodded, not even looking up, and Caroline sighed and left.

* * *

><p>Damon somehow managed to get from the alley back home, though it was nearly impossible to drive because Elena refused to be far away from him, even the distance between the driver and passenger seat was too far and she kept burying her head in his arm. He didn't have the heart to tell her that it was interfering with his driving, not after what she went through tonight.<p>

Now they were laying in Damon's bed. Elena was curled up with her head on his chest, and they were both in complete silence.

He wondered why, after everything she had been through, Elena was so comfortable around him. He sighed, tonight was the last straw. They needed to tell the police.

"Elena?" he said softly.

"Mhm?" she responded in an even softer voice.

"We need to go to the police. Stefan is going to keep this up if we don't"

"I can't, Damon" she said tearfully.

"Why, Elena? Why do you keep letting him do this to you?"

"Because he wouldn't be doing it if I didn't deserve it" she said, her voice cracking as fresh tears came down her face.

"What? Why would you say that?" he asked incredulously.

"Because it's true. My parents and brother died in an accident that I caused. Stefan is right, Damon. I'm not worth the trouble I cause. I deserve whatever I get from him" by this time she was sobbing again.

Damon wrapped his arms around her. She tensed for a few seconds before relaxing at his touch.

"Elena, you are in no way responsible for what he's done. I wish you could see that. Have you thought about seeing someone about this?"

Elena chuckled bitterly. "How am I supposed to explain that I was locked in a room in a basement of a house for six years and why no one heard me when I don't even know myself?"

"Elena, the basement is soundproofed unless it's completely quiet with no one speaking, as it was when I found you. I'm sure Stefan did a good job of making sure there was continuous noise in the house when people were over." Damon explained.

"Still...I don't want to tell my deepest, darkest secret to a total stranger" she said, moving closer to Damon.

"What if it was a very close friend of mine?" Damon suggested.

"You have a friend who is a therapist? Who?" Elena asked.

"Her name is Katherine. She's a lot like you" he replied.

"How do you know her?" she asked.

"Through college. We used to hang out"

"You mean you dated?"

"No, it wasn't like that. She's like a sister to me"

Elena nodded. "Okay. I'll try it."

* * *

><p>A week later, Elena was sitting in the waiting room with Damon. She was very nervous and fidgety, she wasn't sure what to say.<p>

A few seconds later a woman walked up to them. "Hi Damon, nice to see you again"

"You too, Kat" He grinned at her.

"And you must be Elena" she smiled at her.

Elena nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Katherine"

"Come on in" she said, motioning to her office. Elena took a deep breath and followed.

The office was nice, with red walls and a green couch on one wall and two chairs on the other and a lamp by the window.

"So, tell me what brings you here today?" Katherine asked.

"Damon didn't tell you?" she asked and chuckled a bit.

"He just told me that he had a friend that needed help. I don't usually take clients that have ties to people I know personally, but he insisted. We both thought it would be better for you to tell me, in your own words"

Elena swallowed and nodded. "Well, uh, there was this guy, Stefan, Damon's brother, and I used to date him. We dated all of high school and some of college. But I started to develop feelings for Damon. When I finally told him I loved Damon, he... he locked me in some jail cell type room in the basement, refusing to let me see Damon. I had to sleep on rags, I was only allowed one piece of bread and three glasses of water a day, and Stefan would regularly come down and beat and rape me."

She couldn't help but let out a sob before continuing.

"He left me in there for six months. Sometimes I would cut myself just to remind myself I was alive. Then, finally, Damon found me, and little by little, I started to feel better. More myself. More alive. I still get panic attacks, though. Nightmares too. Then a week ago, we went to a nightclub with my friend, Caroline. I saw Stefan. He drugged me, I passed out and the next thing I know, he's humping me in an alley. I screamed for Damon to help me. He finally came and pushed Stefan off of me. It took me hours to calm down and I didn't leave Damon's side the rest of the night"

She was crying once she was finished and Katherine passed her a box of tissues.

"Are you uncomfortable around anyone who isn't Damon?" Katherine asked.

Elena shook her head. "I mean, I don't feel safe unless Damon is around. But I don't mind being around other people, no"

"And is there a reason you haven't told the police about Stefan?" she asked.

"Damon wanted me to, but I can't. There's no way I can get up there and testify in front of everyone, in front of **him**"

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I'm scared" she whispered, admitting it both to herself and out loud for the first time.

"There's nothing he can do to you while you're in there. And I would suspect it would give you closure to do that, to know that you helped make sure that he couldn't do it again"

"But if I look at him...I'll just freeze" Elena pointed out.

"Then look at Damon. I know it's hard for you, but it will only make you stronger. Also, it takes a while for a case to go to trial so you have time to prepare" Katherine promised.

Elena nodded. "Okay. I'll do it"

"I would also like to start you on some PTSD medication to help you with the panic attacks and nightmares"

Elena nodded again. "Okay. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" Katherine replied.

"Sometimes when I see things that remind me of my time in that cell, I get flashbacks. Oddly enough, it's only sight, not hearing or smelling. But it could be anything, bread, water, just anything that correlates to it. Is there anything I can do to stop that?"

"The medication may be able to help with that, but I would also try getting used to being around those things again. Little by little, and don't stress yourself out over it. If it is getting too much, stop."

Elena nodded and grinned. "Thank you"

"Anytime" Katherine grinned back. She wrote out a prescription and handed it to Elena.

As they walked out to the waiting room, Damon stood up and walked over to them. "Hey. How did it go?"

"Good" Elena nodded and grinned.

On the way back, Elena spoke up. "Can we make a stop somewhere?"

"Sure. Where?" Damon asked and looked at her.

"The police station. I want to turn Stefan in"


	7. Chapter 7: Comfort

**A/N: Hey guys, I've returned. AO3 was just too confusing lol. Anyways, here's a new chapter!**

After about four hours of telling the same story to a million different police officers and answering a billion questions, along with them taking pictures of the cell and her injuries for evidence, the police told them that they would call them if they had enough evidence to make an arrest.

Elena sat on the couch, staring into space. Damon walked over to her and sat next to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Elena slowly shook her head. "I don't think I can do this" she whispered.

"You've already taken a big step. The Elena I know wouldn't give up" Damon replied.

"No, the Elena you **knew **wouldn't give up. I'm not her anymore. That Elena died a long time ago" she said sadly, her voice thick with emotion.

"She's still in there somewhere. You just have to find her" he said. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"How? I don't even know who I am anymore. I'm so alone, Damon, I feel so alone" she started to sob.

He wrapped his arms around her, hesitating for a moment in case she protested, which she didn't. "You'll never be alone as long as I'm around" he whispered into her hair.

She buried her face into his chest and sighed. After a while of sitting in silence, Elena's cell phone rang. She swallowed and answered it. "H-Hello?"

"Hello, is this Elena Gilbert?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"Yes" she confirmed.

"This is the police, we are calling to inform you that Stefan Salvatore is in custody and has made a confession, therefore he will be standing before a grand jury and it is required that you attend and speak about what happened"

Elena let out a shaky breath. "When will this be?"

"Given the hectic scheduling, it will most likely be in three months. Until then he will be held without bail"

"Thank you for the information" she said before hanging up.

"What's up?" Damon asked as Elena wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"Stefan has been arrested and made a confession. There's going to be a court trial and I have to go to speak my part. It's in three months. I'm tired, I'm going to bed" she said softly and hurried upstairs before Damon could reply.

She lay in bed with just one thought in her head as she tried to fall asleep: how in hell could she possibly be ready for this in as little as three months?

* * *

><p>Damon and Elena slept in separate beds that night per her request, but Damon couldn't sleep as he had a bad feeling something was going to happen.<p>

Suddenly he heard Elena talking in her room. He glanced at the clock, it was only 5:00. She had to be talking in her sleep.

"Stefan, stop! Please! No..." she was yelling. She was definitely having a nightmare.

Damon rushed into her room and shook her shoulder, which only made her whimper and cringe.

He sighed and tried again. "No" she mumbled. Okay, trying to get her to wake up physically wasn't going to work. What could he do?

Suddenly he remembered an Italian lullaby that his mother used to sing to him and his brother when they would have a nightmare.

He sat on the edge of her bed and sang.

"Lucciola lucciola vien da me,

che ti daro il pan del re,

pan del re e della regina,

lucciola lucciola vien vicina.

Lucciola, lucciola, vieni da me,

ti daro letto da re,

letto da re e lenzuola da regina,

lucciola lucciola maggiolina

Mmmm, mmm, mmmm"

By the time he finished, there were two brown eyes looking up at him. "That was beautiful" she said softly, her voice raspy from yelling in her nightmare.

"Thanks. You were having a bad dream and trying to wake you physically was only making it worse, so I decided to sing you an Italian lullaby that my mom always sang" he explained.

Elena scooted over so Damon could lay next to her, a movement that surprised him because a few minutes ago she was cringing at his touch. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure. I'm fine with you being near me, haven't you figured that out by now?" she asked.

He nodded. "Just making sure" he said before laying next to her.

"You never talk about your mother. What was she like?" Elena asked.

"She was amazing. A hundred percent Italian, she would always speak Italian when she was upset, or when she was with her friends. In the house, I was the only one who understood Italian. We would speak it together, like our own secret language." he smiled at the memory. "She loved to laugh and sing, she would always be cooking. She would always dance around and sing when she cooked. And you could always tell when she was on the phone because she would be talking very fast and very loud in Italian"

Elena chuckled. "How did she...I mean, what..." she couldn't find the words to ask what she wanted to ask.

"How did she die?" he finished for her. She nodded.

Damon sighed. "She died when I was twelve and Stefan was five from cancer. Her last words were to me. She asked everyone to leave so she could talk to me. She said "Prenditi cura del tuo fratello e padre, il mio angelo. E non dimentico mai, io sono qui, sempre."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked.

"Take care of your brother and father, my angel. And never forget, I'm here, always" he translated, his voice cracking a little as he blinked back tears. "Three minutes later she was gone"

Elena hugged him. "It's okay, Damon, you can let it out" she said as she held him close to her. "You've been here for me through so much. Let me be here for you now."

Damon sniffled as he cried silently, his tears dropping onto Elena's chest. She didn't mind though, she knew he needed this.

"I miss her, Elena. A lot. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her. She was the only one that loved and accepted me for who I was. Everyone picked Stefan first for everything, but not her. God, I wish she was here" he told her through tears, his voice getting a bit strangled at the end.

"I know" Elena whispered as she stroked his hair. "I know how you feel. And I know it's hard, sometimes really hard. But you still have me. I'll always be here for you. I promise" she said and kissed the top of his head.

Damon nodded and lifted his head to look at her. His eyes were glistening with tears and his cheeks were wet, he looked so sad and vulnerable, Elena had never seen him like that but she knew the feeling.

Elena wiped his cheeks and then rested her hand on his left cheek while looking into his eyes. "It's okay"

Damon nodded again and smiled weakly. "Can I stay here? I just don't want to sleep alone, not after... I don't want to be alone with my thoughts, if you know what I mean" Damon explained.

Elena nodded. She understood perfectly. "Neither do I" she admitted.

They cuddled up together and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Closer

A few days later, Elena woke to the sound of the piano playing. A smile crept onto her face as her ears adjusted to the sound and she realized what it was. It was Wonderwall by Oasis, one of her favorites. But how did Damon know that?

She walked downstairs where he was playing at the piano. She smiled and sat on the arm of the couch and listened. She clapped once he finished and he grinned at her.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Not the worst thing to be woken up to" she teased. "I didn't know you liked Oasis"

"Yeah, my mom was a big fan of nineties rock and she made sure I was too" Damon chuckled.

Elena chuckled a little as well. "Can you play anything else?" she asked.

"What would you like me to play?" he asked.

She thought for a moment and grinned softly, as if she was remembering something. "Do you know the song 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt?"

Damon grinned. "You were a Stefani girl, huh?" he chuckled before starting to play the slow tune of the song. Elena stared off into space as he played the song.

She was still daydreaming when he finished. "Elena?" he called her back to the present moment.

Elena blinked and looked at him. "Thanks for playing that" she said meaningfully.

Damon looked at her. "Something tells me that was more than just some song to you"

Elena shook her head. "It wasn't. Just a song, I mean. I never told anyone this, not the full story anyways. My parents and brother and I were driving home one night. The road was slippery and we swerved and hit a tree. The tree fell on our car and killed my parents and brother instantly. I was the only one who didn't get hurt. I always blamed myself for being the only one who survived. Anyways, my point is, an hour before we were driving home, we were all at my school talent show that I was performing in and I sang that song. My mom, dad and brother all said it was the most beautiful they have ever heard me sing. I haven't sung ever since. It just doesn't feel right" she finished.

Damon nodded. "I'm so sorry. I think your family would want you to keep singing, though. You know, for them"

Elena nodded in agreement. "But I just can't. It's my fault, if I wasn't in that stupid talent show, they would still be here" she looked down sadly.

"Oh, Elena" Damon got up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "It was a freak accident, it was nobody's fault. They were your parents, they were happy to go. And they wouldn't want you to blame yourself"

Elena nodded again and sighed. "You're right."

After a few minutes of silence, she asked "Why were you down here so early and playing piano? I've never seen you play"

Damon was silent for a few seconds before answering. "It's my mother's birthday. I always play the piano for her because she is the one who taught me"

"Oh my goodness, Damon. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Elena asked. She knew how painful the death of a close loved one could be, and sometimes, despite what they say, those wounds never quite heal.

Damon shook his head. "Actually, I usually just like to be alone on her birthday. Of course, I'll be here if you need me, but I'll just be in my room" he gave a smile that Elena could tell was forced before he went upstairs and she heard his room door close.

She sighed, she knew he didn't truly want to be alone, he just never had anyone to lean on in these hard times so he was just used to doing it that way. But Elena wanted him to know he didn't need to he didn't need to feel like he was all alone.

She got out Damon's address book. "Let's see" she mumbled to herself.

He seemed to have the names highlighted in red and green, the red being people he no longer converses with and the green being the people he does.

One name had green stars surrounding the name: Alaric. That must be of some importance, she thought. I'll give it a try.

"Hello?" she heard a gruff yet kind voice on the other line say.

"Hi. Um, my name is Elena Gilbert, I'm a, uh, friend of Damon Salvatore. Listen, I need to know if there is anything that he always talked about his mother making, recipes and stuff?"

"Who is this again?" Alaric asked, confused.

"I'm Elena, I know it must sound weird but I need a recipe that his mother used to make."

Alaric was silent but then he sighed and she heard him mutter 'shit'. "It's her birthday, isn't it?"

"Yeah" Elena said.

"Well, the only thing he ever mentioned about his mother, and this was when he was very drunk, was that she would always make a torta caprese, it's a type of cake. I can give you the recipe, I have it on my phone after curiosity got the best of me" he chuckled.

"That would be great. Thanks"

* * *

><p>After a few hours, Elena finally finished, and for a first attempt it didn't look too bad.<p>

She walked upstairs and paused at Damon's door before knocking. She heard him clear his throat and after a few seconds "Come in"

She opened the door. "Hey. How are you doing?"

"I told you, I wanted to be alone" he said, harsher than he meant.

"You know I don't believe that. You just never had anyone that was willing to be your shoulder to cry on"

He sighed, he knew she was right.

"And also, I made something that I think you will appreciate having" she grinned and walked out the door, coming back with the cake.

Damon's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

"I thought you could use some cheering up, so I called Alaric, I figured from the millions of green stars around his name he was a good friend, and he said your mom always made this"

Elena sat down and put the cake and two plates in between them.

"You know, she used to make it with-"

"Dark chocolate in addition to Italian chocolate? I know. That's how I made it. I had to go to the store for the ingredients"

He looked at her in amazement. "You did this for me?"

Elena nodded. "Of course. Now dig in before it gets all stale-like" she grinned and put a slice on her and Damon's dishes.

Damon took a bite and his eyes lit up. "This tastes exactly like how she used to make it" he said, his voice soft with surprise.

Elena smiled. "I'm glad."

"You went to the store by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded, proud of herself. "I was fine, too. I thought I might panic but I really didn't"

Damon smiled. "Wow"

They ended up finishing the whole cake as Damon shared childhood memories with her.

"Are you sure you want to stay up here all day?" Elena asked after a while.

"I don't think I'd be very good company if we went anywhere today" Damon replied with a sad grin.

Elena took a slow breath and glanced around the room before saying "Alright. Then I'm staying with you" she stacked the now empty plates up and put them on the nightstand before laying back down next to him.

"Elena..." Damon started. He wanted her to stay, he really did. Because he didn't want to grieve alone anymore. But he also couldn't let her see him break down. This was one of the two days a year, the other being her anniversary, that he let himself bring his walls down. In private, of course.

"I know what you're gonna say" Elena interrupted before he could continue. "And I don't care. I don't care if we sit in silence the whole day, or if you cry, or if you just want to talk about her. It doesn't matter. I will never judge you, Damon, because you never judged me. You saw me when I was at my most vulnerable and you loved me just the same. Well guess what, so do I. I don't care if you're a mess. Just let me be here for you" she rested her hand on Damon's arm.

Damon nodded and looked at her. "Okay"

They spent the whole day in that bed. A few times Damon started to cry and Elena comforted him, but mostly they just stared up at the ceiling, both lost in thought.

Eventually they fell asleep. It wasn't long before Elena woke up to Damon tossing and turning. Elena's mind raced, how did she wake him up? It had always been her that had the nightmares and now that the roles were reversed, she had no idea what to do.

She tried to shake his shoulder to wake him, the obvious solution. When that wasn't working, she had to think fast.

"Don't leave me, mommy" she heard him mumble. That was it. She knew what she needed to do.

"Lucciola, lucciola,

che ti daro il pan del re,

pan del re e della regina,

lucciola lucciola vien vicina."

Her singing seemed to work as his breathing evened out and he calmed down, though he still appeared to be sleeping.

Elena smiled in relief, glad she was able to ease his nightmare, before closing her eyes and dozing off again.

* * *

><p>The next morning Elena awoke before Damon and made sausage, eggs and french toast for breakfast.<p>

"Mmmm, what smells good down here?" Damon asked as he walked into the kitchen, fully dressed with a smile on his face.

Elena shook her head, she had no clue how he could switch moods like that, but she decided to go with it. Just one of those Damon quirks she'd have to get used to. "French toast, Gilbert style, eggs and sausage"

"And what exactly makes the french toast 'Gilbert style'?" Damon asked, raising a brow.

"You'll just have to wait and see" she grinned before placing two plates on the table and sitting down.

Damon took a bite of the French toast. "Blueberries and cinnamon. Clever and tasty" he grinned before eating more.

"So" she started as she started eating herself. "Did you sleep well?"

Damon nodded. "I did. Especially after you sang to me" he looked up at her with a smirk on his face.

Elena blushed furiously. "I-I didn't think you would remember that. You were having a nightmare and you wouldn't wake up, and I remember you saying your mom would always sing that to you and your brother so I thought I'd try it and it worked" she explained, purposely not using Stefan's name.

He nodded. "Well, thank you" he grinned.

She nodded and grinned back in response. "So what are your plans today?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to do" Damon replied.

Elena looked at him. "Damon, you don't have to spend every second with me. I'm doing better, I'm seeing Katherine once a week, I'm taking PTSD meds, and I'm doing better at managing my panic attacks. If you have things to do, go do them"

"I should go back to work at some point, do you think you'll be alright?" he asked.

Elena nodded. "What do you do for work, anyways?"

"I work at my father's restaurant. He'll be retiring soon and I'm to take over" he explained.

"Your family owns a restaurant?" Elena asked, her eyes wide. "Which one?"

"Restaurante Gianna. He named it after my mother" he grinned.

"Your family owns Restaurante Gianna? That's like the most expensive restaurant in town!" she exclaimed.

"It **is **the most expensive restaurant in town, at the least." he smirked.

"Wow. Stefan never told me, then again he didn't tell me much about personal things." she suddenly got a bitter expression.

"Hey" Damon rested his hand on top of hers. "He's gone now, he can't hurt you"

Elena nodded and grinned. "I know. Anyways, if you need to check and see how everything is going, I'll be fine for a few hours"

He nodded. "Alright. I'll be back at around three" he said and kissed Elena's forehead before leaving.

* * *

><p>Elena kept herself busy by cleaning and watching tv. Around two in the afternoon the phone rang.<p>

"Hello?" she answered.

"This is the county jail. Do you accept the charges for this call?" an automated voice said.

Her eyes widened and she swallowed. Did she want to do this? **Could **she do this?


	9. Chapter 9: Too Far

"Yes, I accept the charges" she said in a determined voice, deciding right then and there that she wasn't going to let Stefan control her any longer and she certainly wasn't going to be afraid of him anymore.

"Elena" his cold voice said on the other line.

She took a deep breath. "Hello Stefan"

Stefan chuckled. "I can hear your fear, even though you try to hide it"

"I'm not hiding anything, Stefan. There's nothing to hide. I'm perfectly fine." she said nonchalantly.

"Really? When was the last time you did anything more than cuddle with Damon? You know, he's gonna get bored real easily if you can't even give him a bit of pleasure."

Elena's expression wavered a bit, was he right? Could Damon leave her if she was unable to take their relationship further than cuddling and occasionally kissing?

She shook her head, she was letting him get to her. "He wouldn't do that. He's not you" she spat.

She heard Stefan chuckle. "I know my brother. He lives and breathes sex. If you can't do it, you're done" he said in a mocking tone.

Elena clenched her fists. "And when are **you **gonna be done?" she asked.

"Right now, actually" he said, knowing he got under her skin a little. "See you in three months"

Elena slammed the phone down, tears in her eyes, right as Damon walked through the door.

"Woah, what did I miss?" he asked, concerned.

Elena turned on her heels and rushed over to him, crushing her lips to his.

Damon pushed away. "Elena, hey, slow down. Tell me what happened"

It wasn't that he wouldn't have been happy to have her right then and there, but she was obviously upset and he didn't want their first time to be something she would regret.

"Don't you want me? A-Are you bored of me?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

Damon frowned and shook his head. "Elena, why would you even ask that? I don't want to do this right now because you're obviously upset and I want this to be something that is enjoyable for the both of us, not something that's forced or done when we're not thinking clearly. Come here" he said and hugged Elena tightly to him.

He led her to the couch and looked at her. "Please, tell me what has you so upset and why on earth you would think I was bored of you?"

"I-I don't know" she mumbled, looking down, ashamed that she had let Stefan get to her.

"Elena" he said softly and lifted her chin to look at him. "Tell me. I'm not going to be upset"

Elena swallowed. "The phone rang and I answered it. It was Stefan calling from the jail. I thought I could do it, I thought I was strong enough to not let him get to me, but that's exactly what I let him do" she said, her tone getting more bitter with every word.

"What did he tell you?" he asked.

"That you were going to get bored of me if I couldn't do anything more intimate than just cuddling and kissing. I know that he was trying to get to me, but just the thought of it is just...I can't lose you, Damon. You're the only thing that has kept me going and I don't know what I would do if I lost you"

Tears started to fall down her cheeks and Damon hugged her close. "Elena, I promise you that I'm never going to leave you. No matter what **anyone **says, I will** never **leave you"

Elena nodded as she buried her head into his chest. "I love you, Damon"

"I love you too" he replied.

"I do want to try to make love. Not because of what Stefan said but because I think I'm ready"

"You're sure? Damon asked.

Elena nodded.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, they were in Damons room kissing. Elena was enjoying it but was also very cautious of what Damon was doing.<p>

He slipped her shirt off and she did the same to him. So far, so good.

Damon kissed down her neck, chest and stomach. She had to work at steadying her breath, but told Damon to keep going.

He slipped his hand under her pants. At first it was fine, but then she started to flash back. She gasped.

"STOP!" Elena said, louder than intended as she scrambled away to the other end of the bed, fumbling for her shirt and putting it back on.

She sat on the edge of the bed, head down as she tried to calm her trembling body down.

Damon sat next to her, though a good two feet away so it wasn't uncomfortable for her.

"I'm sorry" she muttered.

"Don't be. You're not ready, and that's okay. I can wait. You're worth the wait" Damon said truthfully.

She looked at him and grinned. "Really?"

Damon nodded. "I'm not gonna make you do anything you are uncomfortable with."

"Thank you" she said.

* * *

><p>"How have the PTSD meds been working?" Katherine asked during their next meeting.<p>

"Pretty good, the nightmares and flashbacks have gone for the most part. There was this time, though, a few days ago that Damon and I tried to, um, make love, and I was fine until he slipped his hand...down there. Then I completely freaked out and had a flashback. I had to tell him to stop. He was very understanding, but I'm just frustrated by the fact that I can't do much more than cuddling and kissing without it triggering me"

Katherine nodded. "Well, it was your first time since everything happened, your body may have been shocked. I would try going slower, but at the same time try to push yourself. Don't go so far that you have an episode though. Keep me posted on how it goes."

Elena nodded. "I'll try that. Thanks"


	10. Chapter 10: Final Resort

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, writers block is a pain but I'm back! I think this is my longest story because it still has a long way to go. I hope you all are still reading. Here it is. Just a warning, this chapter has mentions of suicide, self harm and rape in it, but it's not too graphic, don't like don't read!**

Elena woke to the sound of pots banging downstairs.

"Shit!" she heard Damon yell. She wrapped herself in her bathrobe before going downstairs to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked at the multiple pans and utensils on the floor and Damon's pained face.

"Yeah, I just dropped some stuff. Sorry to wake you, I was going to surprise you" he said with a sheepish smile.

"Well, you still can. I'm going to take a shower and I will be down soon" she grinned and winked before going back upstairs.

* * *

><p>About a half an hour later, Elena came down wearing black slacks, a dark purple blouse, black boots and a grey sweater.<p>

"Mmmm, that smells so good, what is it?" She asked.

"Crepes" Damon said and put two plates on the table.

"Wow, I've never had that before" Elena said.

Damon's eyes widened. "Wow, really? Well, now you can say you have" he grinned.

She smiled and took a bite. "It's really good" she said.

"I'm glad." Damon said. "Listen, I need to do a few things, will you be okay alone?"

"Of course" Elena said and nodded while licking some powdered sugar off of her fingertips.

* * *

><p>About an hour after Damon left, Elena was putting the dishes that had been in the dishwasher back into the cabinets when she heard the door open.<p>

"Hey Damon, I'm in here" she called. There was no answer.

"Damon?" she called again. Still nothing.

She swallowed and grabbed a cutting knife before slowly walking towards the front door, which had been left open even though no one was there.

"Hello?" she called out nervously. "Who's there?"

"Elena" she heard someone call from behind. She gasped, startled, and spun around, knife halfway in the air. Oh my god, she thought, how is this possible.

"Stefan" she whispered.

* * *

><p>Stefan smirked and glanced at the knife. "Now is that any way to greet someone?"<p>

"How are you out?" Elena demanded. She thought she would have been more scared, but she wasn't. She felt in control.

"My father knows some people, important people, and he can be...persuasive. He got them to drop the charges. Not like there was enough evidence to lock me away for good anyways" he gave her a sick grin.

Elena swallowed and backed up. Now she was getting nervous. "W-Why are you here?" she asked.

"Because you were a very bad girl. I mean, accusing me of all those things, wow, that was harsh"

"I didn't accuse you, because you did them!" Elena yelled.

"That's my word against yours." he said. "Now, on to your punishment" he said in a low voice, slowly walking up to her and stroking her cheek. His touch made her feel sick.

"Admit it" he whispered as he kissed her neck and rested his hand under her shirt on her waist. "You like it"

"Go to hell" was her reply.

She gasped as she felt something behind her. It took her a minute to realize it was just a wall.

She was crying now. "P-Please stop, Stefan. You're hurting me..." She begged, thinking maybe if he knew he was hurting her he would stop. How childish of her.

He aggressively started taking her clothes off, and she knew what was coming next. She just closed her eyes and hoped Damon would come home soon and this would end.

* * *

><p>Damon walked up to the house with a bag of groceries 20 minutes later and frowned as he saw the door was open.<p>

He walked inside and gasped as he saw Elena on the floor, naked and bloody.

He instantly dropped the groceries and ran over to her sobbing and shaking form. He shrugged off his leather coat and put it over her.

"Elena, what happened?" he asked as he stroked her cheek. This action only seemed to rile her up more. "Elena, it's okay. You're safe. I need you to tell me what happened"

Elena sniffled and looked at him with an unreadable expression. "S-Stefan...h-his father got him o-out" she sobbed.

Damon's anger spiked, but he needed to be in control for Elena. "Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll handle this. I think we should get a rape kit done, though"

Elena shook her head vigorously. "N-No. Please, Damon, I'm begging you, don't make me do that" she sobbed harder.

"Okay. Okay, we don't need to. But aren't you worried you may be pregnant?"

Elena shook her head, this seemed to upset her even more, if that was possible. "I can't. Stefan became abusive towards me about a year before he locked me away. He'd kick me in the stomach area and hit me. I went to a doctor about it a few months after it started and he said that there was so much scarring on my ovaries that I couldn't possibly ever conceive"

"Oh, Elena... I'm so sorry, about all of this. And I swear, we will put Stefan in jail" Damon promised.

Elena shook her head sadly. "It doesn't matter anymore, Damon. As long as your father is around, he's a free man. He won, Damon. Stefan won." she sighed. "I'd like to take a shower now, if that's okay"

Damon nodded. "Of course"

* * *

><p>Elena vigorously scrubbed at her aching body, trying to wash off anything Stefan.<p>

After an hour long shower, she put a fresh pair of pajamas on and walked out to her bedroom. She sat on the bed and sighed. She was so done with everything.

She looked out the door that led to a balcony. It would be that easy, she could just jump.

She slowly walked outside and looked down, it was a high enough fall.

It's not that she wanted to die, but she had no choice. Stefan was never going to stop, so she needed to be the one to stop it.

She climbed onto the rail and stood up. All she needed was to take one step. That's all.

"Elena!" she heard Damon yell from inside.

"Don't, Damon! Stefan is not going to stop, I'm the one who needs to end this. I can't let him win"

"He will win if you do this!" Damon pointed out.

"And what's the alternative? Let him beat me and rape me until he kills me? No, I'm not letting him do that" Elena said, standing

"Elena, please, I'm begging you. I know what you are going through, but it won't last forever"

Elena chuckled bitterly. "You know what it's like to have someone torture and torment you for years?"

Damon sighed. "Yes, I do. And I know how it feels to be totally alone, and feel like the only way out is death. But give me the chance to show you that things can change for the better. Please Elena...I don't want to lose you"

Elena was crying now. "Stand behind me" she said in barely a whisper.

Damon did as she said, and she fell backwards into his arms.

* * *

><p>Elena and Damon sat in silence on the bed for ages until Elena finally broke it.<p>

"You said you know what it's like to be tormented and be totally alone...what happened?" she asked curiously.

Damon sighed. "After my mom died, my dad would hit me. He wanted to go after Stefan, but I made him a deal, he could do whatever he wanted with me and just leave Stefan out of it. He did, but I'm sure Stefan saw at least some of it. I was depressed, I didn't tell anyone. I found relief in very unhealthy things..."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

Damon rolled up his sleeves and his arms revealed multiple discolored scars, mostly faded to the point that they were white by now, but some were still pink.

"Damon...why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked softly.

"I didn't want to tell anyone. Anyways, once Stefan and I moved out, things got better. I started going out, seeing people, meeting friends. Katherine was the first friend I made, and she was like my mentor. Once she found out that I was depressed and doing...unconventional activities, she helped me get past it. I want to help you like Katherine helped me"

"You already have, Damon. But there is only so much you can do. You got away from your father, I can't get away from Stefan" she pointed out.

"Says who?" Damon countered.

Elena raised a brow. "What, are you saying we just move?"

"I'm saying it's a thought. But whatever happens, I'll always be here to catch you when you fall"


	11. Chapter 11: Stalker

**Bang, bang, there goes your heart, I know you want it**

**Back, back seat of my car, I'll let you have it**

**Wait a minute, let me take you there**

**Wait a minute til ya ahhh**

"How was that?" Elena asked as she finished the routine to "Bang Bang" by Jessie J featuring Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande.

"It was much better than yesterday" Caroline said.

Elena sighed. "I can't be just 'better', I need to be amazing"

"Tell me why you're doing this again?" she asked.

"I need to get in shape so I'm stronger in case I see Stefan, which I probably will until I can get a restraining order or get him locked up for good"

"I doubt Damon will let you get anywhere near Stefan" Caroline said.

"Probably not, but he can't be around twenty-four seven so I need to be prepared just in case"

Caroline nodded. "Well, I would work on my transitions, they could be smoother. And keep up with the rhythm of the music."

"Got it. Let's go again"

**She got a body like an hourglass**

**But I can give it to you all the time**

* * *

><p>"How the hell could you let them release him?" Damon yelled into the phone.<p>

He was upstairs in his room talking to his father.

"He's my son, Damon, and your brother" was his father's response.

Damon laughed coldly. "I'm your son too and it didn't stop you from abusing me. So what, you're protecting the favorite son, is that it?"

"I do not have favorites, I love both of you equally"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Bull. You knew full well what was happening, then and now, and you didn't do anything about it. All those nights that I cried myself to sleep, all the times I begged you to stop hurting me, all the times I cut myself because I didn't know what else to do, YOU ACTED LIKE YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON, BUT YOU ALWAYS KNEW!" he screamed, tears falling now. "Did you ever think that I just needed someone to love me?" he whispered and swallowed. He hadn't meant to reveal that much, but it was out in the open now, too late to take back.

"I stand by my decision, Damon" his father responded, seemingly unfazed by the outburst.

Damon shook his head and hung up, throwing his phone at the wall before sinking down onto the bed, putting his head in his hands.

Suddenly he felt someone sit next to him. He slowly looked up and saw Elena looking at him, concern in her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that" he said, his voice rough.

"No, don't apologize. It's not your fault, what happened." she told him.

He wasn't sure what she was referring to, Stefan's abuse toward her or his father's abuse toward him. "I know that what my father did wasn't my fault, but Stefan... sometimes I wonder if I had been there for him more..."

Elena shook his head. "No, you couldn't have stopped it. Stefan is a grown man who can make his own decisions. You didn't make him do those things, he decided to do them himself"

Damon nodded. "Why didn't my father care about me, Elena?" he whispered, looking at her with a broken expression. "That's all I wanted. I just wanted someone to care"

Elena hugged him tightly. "I know. You deserved so much better, Damon. But I care about you, and I promise to give you everything. I love you"

Damon hugged Elena tightly to him and buried his face in her neck for comfort.

* * *

><p>The next morning Elena woke up unusually cold. Her mind, of course, went right to the worst possible scenario: she was back in the cell.<p>

But then she realized she was still in bed. She opened her eyes. Yep, she was cuddled up with Damon in bed.

She leaned up to look outside and found the cause of her chills... it was snowing out.

She smiled, she had always loved the snow. She shook Damon's shoulder. "Damon" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes fluttering open. She smiled more, he was so adorable when he was asleep.

"It's snowing" she said, a grin on her face.

"And?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you want to have a snowball fight like old times?"

He chuckled. "I don't do snowball fights anymore"

"I get it, you're just afraid to lose to a girl" she said, glancing at him and trying not to smile.

"Oh, now you're on" he said and got up to get dressed.

Elena giggled and did the same.

* * *

><p>After a couple of hours of playing around in the snow, they went inside and were now cuddled up to each other in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate.<p>

"Today has been so perfect" Elena said softly. "I wish every day could be like this"

"It will be, soon" Damon reassured her.

"But will it be soon enough?" she asked, setting her cocoa down and looking at him. "I mean, Stefan could come through that door any second and do who knows what. Until we can find a way to lock him up for good, I'm not safe"

Damon took a long sigh. He knew what she was saying was true. "So what are you saying"

"I'm saying I need to move, far far away from here. And you can't come with me" she said, tearing up.

Damon shook his head. "Wherever you go, I go to. I'm never going to leave you"

"You'll get hurt. Stefan will hurt you to hurt me. I can't let that happen" Elena said.

"I can handle my brother. I love you too much to leave you. Let me come with you, let me help you" Damon tried to convince her.

Elena sighed and nodded. "I was planning to go to LA. It's the furthest away from him I can get.

"Sounds great" Damon said immediately.

Elena smiled. "I love you"

"I love you too" he said and kissed her.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later they were ready to go. Elena was surprised she hadn't heard from Stefan.<p>

They were set to move into a roomy 2 bedroom apartment. Damon was still going to be working at the restaraunt, incidentally they had one in LA as well as basically every single town in the US, so it wasn't hard for him to just switch locations.

Elena also found a job at a waitress at the restaurant and started seeing a new local therapist, one of Katherine's friends named Rebeckah Mikaelson. She was British and very sassy, and always said things like "dear" and "darling". Elena really liked her.

Then things started getting weird. It started with one message. It said "You can run, but you can never hide". It was from a blocked number, and when they brought it to the police, they said it was a burn phone and they couldn't trace it.

But she and Damon both knew who it was. There was no doubt it was Stefan.

More messages in the next few weeks came. They read:

Blocked: Poor Damon. I wonder how he feels knowing he has to watch his back all the time?

Blocked: Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man. Old nursery rhymes aren't always true. I'll catch up to you eventually.

Blocked: Getting closer and closer every day... *Image attached*

Elena opened the image and it showed pictures of her and Damon doing everyday things like shopping and hanging out.

The harassment didn't stop there. Odd gifts with no return address or card would be sent to them, old creepy dolls and tape players with disturbing sounding music in it.

One day Elena came home to find her laptop opened, screen facing her. Suddenly she got a message.

Blocked: Don't say I never gave you anything. Turn on your laptop

Elena warily walked over and pressed the power button and a familiar sound came through the speakers.

"Please let me out" a weak sounding Elena begged.

"No way. You're mine, not Damon's, and you will get out when and if I decide" Stefan growled and kicked her, making her cry out. "Stop crying, you little brat!"

Elena immediately stopped the tape. This was a recording of her imprisonment.

* * *

><p>A man dressed in black walked into the airport and up to the desk. "One way flight to LA" he told the girl as he pulled out his I.D.<p>

"Thanks" he said once he got the ticket.

**A/N: Wow! This story just took on a whole new twist haha. I wasn't expecting when I initially started writing for it to be this intense, but here we are 11 chapters in and still far from finished! I'm kind of throwing a Pretty Little Liars spin on things in the sense that Elena and Damon are being stalked by who they THINK is Stefan, but is it? You will have to see ;) Don't worry though, I'm not making a whole other story out of it, it will tie in with everything else. Review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Tragedies and Miracles

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back, not much of a hiatus lol I just reread the entire story and finally my creativity for the story sparked :D So here it is..**

After she called Damon and then the police, Elena went to her night shift at the restaurant.

Elena was washing the dishes at the restaurant when Lexi, her co worker, walked up to her and leaned against the huge sink. "What's got you stressed?" she asked.

Elena looked at her. "What do you think?"

She and Lexi had gotten to be pretty good friends and it turns out that she knew Damon and Stefan as well and had some troubles with Stefan as well.

"Is the investigation going anywhere?" she asked.

"Between the pictures, the video and the texts, plus the evidence they had from a few months ago, I think that they have a pretty solid, foolproof case" Elena answered optimistically.

"That's good. And like I said, I'm here if you need me to testify. I want that bastard dead too" Lexi said.

"What exactly happened between you two?" Elena asked, careful not to sound pushy.

"He was abusive and controlling" Lexi said. "I stayed with him way longer than I should have"

"When did you guys get together?" she asked.

"Middle school through high school"

Elena's eyes widened. "All of high school?"

Lexi nodded.

Elena stood there for a minute in shock. "I have to go" she said before leaving.

* * *

><p>Damon looked up from his book as Elena came through the front door.<p>

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he saw her dumbfounded expression.

"Stefan was cheating on me with Lexi the entire time we were together" she said quietly.

"Oh my god. Does she know?" Damon asked.

"I have no clue" she said softly as she sat next to him. "Our entire relationship was a lie. Even the times that we were happy, he was fooling around behind my back"

Damon hugged her close and she nestled her head into his chest for comfort.

Suddenly the phone rang and Elena answered it. After a minute of talking she hung up.

"What was that about?" Damon asked.

"That was the police department. They arrested Stefan and they have enough solid evidence for an arraignment in two days" Elena said.

"And? Do you think you can do it?" Damon wondered.

Elena nodded. "I know I can"

* * *

><p>Two days later, Elena was standing before a jury to testify. She felt confident that she presented her case well.<p>

Also, Lexi showed up and testified as well, not to mention the multiple rape and assault charges against Stefan that were never filed.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked, and everyone was basically sitting on the edge of their seats as if watching some drama show.

The head of the jury handed the judge a slip of paper.

"The jury finds the defendant...guilty of all charges and sentenced to execution" the judge announced.

Suddenly a huge weight felt like it had been lifted from Elena's body.

* * *

><p>"He's finally gone. No chance of getting out" Elena said as she and Damon lay in bed.<p>

"Mhm" Damon replied, looking up at the ceiling.

"Okay, you've been oddly quiet since we left the courtroom, what's wrong?" Elena asked.

"Nothing" he lied. Elena looked at him, letting him know she knew that was a big fat lie.

When he didn't respond, she sighed. She knew that once upon a time, Damon and Stefan had a close relationship, and she knew that no matter how she felt about the situation, this was hard for Damon.

"I'm sorry" she said gently.

Damon looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"I know that, even though maybe it was justified, Stefan is your brother and this must be hard for you" she looked at him with sympathetic, understanding eyes.

Damon shrugged. "I'll be fine" he tried to brush it off. In reality, he was scared and devastated. Scared because he was going to lose the only family he had left, and devastated because he remembered a time before Stefan was like this, a time where he was a happy little kid.

"You and I both know that's not true" Elena said. She rested a hand on his cheek and brought his face over to look at her. "You can talk to me, Damon. It's okay. And it's okay not to be okay"

He swallowed, his facade diminishing under her compassionate gaze. "He's my brother, Elena. I know what he's done, and I know it's justified, but I just...I've lost so many people, and...I'm scared, Elena. Scared of being alone. And hurting because I remember a time when he was different. Part of me wishes there was another way. I'm sorry"

Damon got up and walked over to the window, his back facing Elena. She could see that he was trying not to break down, but she could tell it was tearing him apart inside.

He felt guilty that he couldn't just hate him, but what he didn't know is that Elena understood.

"Hey" she said gently, getting up and walking over to him, resting a hand on his back. "It's okay, I get it"

"I'm sorry, Elena. I..." he couldn't even finish the sentence, because he knew if he spoke another word he would lose it.

"You seem to be forgetting that I had a younger brother, too. I understand the sense of duty to protect him. To help, no matter what the circumstance. It's okay, you have nothing to feel guilty about. " she said, nodding as she stroked his hair.

He nodded at her words, his walls crumbling down around him as the pain in his chest reached his throat and he couldn't possibly hold it in anymore.

His legs gave in and he fell to the floor and sobbed, curling into Elena's arms and-for once-letting someone be his shoulder to cry on.

Elena shed some tears of her own too, because she herself knew that once, Stefan had just been an innocent child. It made her wonder how it came down to this?

* * *

><p>A few days later, Damon had arranged for Stefan's ashes to be sent to his father per his fathers request. They didn't know what he planned to do with them, but they didn't have much time to ask because they had decided to move back home to Virginia.<p>

After the last box was loaded in the moving truck, they started their long drive back.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked, taking Damon's hand in hers.

"I'll be okay. I mean, sure it was sad but in the end, I think my brother died long before this"

Elena sighed. It was an interesting way to look at it.

"Anyways, enough doom and gloom for one lifetime. Let's play some music" Damon suggested.

"Good idea" Elena said and turned the radio of the old Camero on.

**I didn't know that it was so cold and you needed someone to show you the way,**

**So I took your hand and we figured out that when the tide comes I'd sweep you away, eh.**

**If you want to, I could save you, I could take you away from here,**

**So lonely inside, so busy out there, and all you wanted was somebody to care.**

Damon grinned and looked at Elena, who was grinning at him as well.

This song fit them so well. They both always wanted somebody to care for them, and they both saved each other.

**I'm sinking slowly, so hurry hold me**

**Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on**

**Please can you tell me so I can finally see**

**Where you go when you're gone**

"I think this should be our song" Elena announced.

Damon grinned. "Yeah?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah.

* * *

><p>"Ah, home sweet home" Damon said as they opened the door to the Salvatore boarding house.<p>

"Well there you guys are. I thought I was going to have to pack an overnight bag" a farmiliar voice said as she walked down the stairs.

"Lexi?!" Elena said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Damon thought it would be a nice surprise since we've gotten to know each other so well, and since it would be so boring without you working with me, he offered me a job at the restaraunt here" she smiled as she hugged her friend.

"That's so amazing! You'll have to meet my friends Bonnie and Caroline" Elena said.

"Who do you think's been keeping her company?" another voice yelled from the kitchen and Bonnie and Caroline walked out, Caroline holding a bottle of champagne. "Welcome back! Come on, let's celebrate!"

Elena laughed and looked at Damon. "You did all this?"

Damon shrugged and grinned before nodding. Elena hugged him tightly. "Thank you"

"No problem. Now come on, the drinks are gonna get warm and the cake is going to get stale"

"Cake?!" Elena said, shocked, and laughed. She was home. She couldn't have pictured a more perfect life.

* * *

><p>That night, Elena asked if they could try again. She had been practicing 'doing it' herself and she was finally ready.<p>

Damon agreed, but said to tell him if she needed him to stop.

The night was filled with pleasure and love, and they both enjoyed every second.

* * *

><p><strong>Two weeks later...<strong>

Elena screamed from the upstairs bathroom.

Damon ran upstairs and knocked on the door. "Elena?" he asked, alarmed.

She walked out, hand over her mouth and glancing at a plastic strip.

"Elena?" he asked again.

"I'm pregnant" she whispered.

"What? A-Are you sure? I thought you couldn't"

"I thought so too, I mean I saw one doctor about it, maybe I should have gotten a second opinion or something. I'm pregnant" she smiled.

"That's amazing. I think we should go to the doctors though, just to make sure it can be a healthy pregnancy" Damon suggested.

Elena nodded, it sounded reasonable.

After about two hours at the doctors, they confirmed that some of the scarring had healed since she had last had it checked and she was pregnant and it could indeed be a healthy pregnancy.

Damon smiled and kissed Elena. They were going to be parents.


	13. Chapter 13: Happily Ever After?

**A/N: Alright, well, here is the last chapter. It's very short but it just wraps things up. I hope you all enjoyed the story and thank you to everyone that has read to the end!**

"Surprise!"

Damon uncovered Elena's eyes to reveal Caroline, Bonnie, and Lexi standing in the living room which was decorated in balloons and streamers. Presents were on the table as well as sodas and a cake.

"Oh my goodness, you guys threw me a baby shower?!" Elena smiled widely

Lexi hugged her. "Of course we did"

"Well let's turn up the music and party" she exclaimed and turned on the radio.

She grabbed Damon's arm and started dancing with him. They moved to the beat of "Feel So Close"

Lexi sat on the couch sipping some bourbon she stole from Damon's stash and Caroline and Bonnie were dancing as well.

After a while of dancing and cake, Elena opened the presents. She got baby clothes, a baby blanket, diapers, and baby toys.

"I have one more surprise for you" Damon grinned.

Elena raised a brow. "What's that?"

Damon motioned for her to follow him upstairs. He stopped at a door and opened it to reveal a nursery.

Elena gasped. "Oh wow. You did all this?"

Damon nodded. "Of course"

Elena hugged him tightly. "Thank you"

Damon kissed her forehead. "Always"

* * *

><p>That night, Elena was woken up by a text. It was from a blocked number.<p>

Her heart dropped. How was this possible?

She shook Damon, waking him up.

"Damon" she whispered and showed him the text. It read:

Blocked: Thanks for helping me get Stefan off my back. He was the cat and you were the mouse. But I'm a fox. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closest. Xox

"Stefan wasn't the one who was sending the texts" Elena deducted.

"Then who was?" Damon wondered.

"Someone who wanted him dead, and wants me dead" Elena said.

**A/N: I decided to end on a cliffhanger because I wanted to leave the possibility of a sequel open. What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts in a review :)**


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